Eleven House Republicans have introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
It is unclear whether there will be enough support in the party to pass it, as Republican leaders have not signed on to the effort.
The articles were introduced by North Carolina Rep Mark Meadows and Ohio Rep Jim Jordan, staunch allies of Donald Trump who have supported his criticism of the Justice Department.
Eleven House Republicans have introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
They claim Rosenstein is not being responsive enough in their requests for documents related to the Russia investigation, as well as a closed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Rosenstein’s critics are also angered that he has not appointed a second special counsel to review how the FBI has handled the Russia investigation or shared a memo outlining Mueller’s investigation, according to Politico.
A request for the latter was denied by the Justice Department, which said it would impede the ongoing investigation.
The introduction does not trigger an immediate vote, but Meadows and Jordan could make procedural moves on the House floor to force a vote late this week.
They could also wait until the House returns from its upcoming five-week recess, which begins on Thursday, in September.
Their move came two hours after GOP lawmakers met with Justice Department officials who have been working to provide documents to several congressional committees about decisions made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
‘The DOJ is keeping information from Congress. Enough is enough,’ Jordan said in a statement on Wednesday.
‘It’s time to hold Mr Rosenstein accountable for blocking Congress’s constitutional oversight role.’
The articles were introduced by North Carolina Rep Mark Meadows and Ohio Rep Jim Jordan (pictured), who are outspoken supporters of President Donald Trump
Meadows (pictured) and Jordan have supported Trump’s criticism of the Justice Department
The Justice Department has provided lawmakers with more than 800,000 documents connected to the investigation into Clinton’s emails.
But Meadows claimed after the meeting that there was still ‘frustration’ with how Rosenstein has handled the oversight requests.
He said Rosenstein has ‘made every effort to obstruct legitimate attempts of congressional oversight’ since taking charge of the Department of Justice.
‘It’s time to find a new deputy attorney general who is serious about accountability and transparency,’ he added.
Republican leaders, however, have said in recent weeks that they are satisfied with the Justice Department’s progress.
It is unclear whether there will be enough support in the party to pass it, as Republican leaders like Paul Ryan have not signed on to the effort
House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy said after the meeting that he was pleased with the department’s efforts and wouldn’t support Rosenstein’s impeachment.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has also said he is satisfied with progress on the document production and has previously rejected calls for Rosenstein’s impeachment.
On Tuesday the congressman’s aides told Politico that his position has not changed and he has not endorsed efforts to impeach Rosenstein.
But some Rosenstein critics have said they hope just the act of introducing articles of impeachment could lead to Trump firing the Deputy Attorney General himself.
‘We were just kind of hoping somebody else would do it first, either Jeff Sessions or the president,’ Texas Rep Louie Gohmert said in a recent interview.
Arizona Reps Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, Pennsylvania Rep Scott Perry, Georgia Rep Jody Hice, Florida Rep Matt Gaetz, and Tennessee Rep Scott DesJarlais have all signed on as co-sponsors.
Democrats have criticized Republican efforts to pressure the Justice Department in recent months, saying they are attempts to undermine Mueller’s investigation.